All In
by pompeypearly
Summary: We all know and love how Chloe saved Oliver – the man and the myth. Would it have worked if the roles were reversed?
1. Chapter 1

Oliver pulled the cap further over his eyes as she walked by his table. Another waitress had taken his order, but he was partly disappointed she hadn't felt his presence. He had always known her to be sharp, with instincts that could rival the best of them.

When he was sure she wasn't looking in his direction, he looked back up at her, free to take in the changes that had been made.

She could curl her hair, continue dying it brown, wear glasses and hide her curves under as many baggy uniforms as she wanted; there was no disguising her. The name tag said Anne, but she was still the Chloe Sullivan he remembered.

After everything they had all been through, he had never expected her to be the one to run. Hell, it had crossed his mind; he had even tried for a few days himself.

Three weeks of drinking, fighting, fast bikes and faster women had left him feeling lonelier than ever. Knowing that she would be there to hold everything together, waiting for them all to return, had hit him with more guilt than the death of Jimmy ever could.

Lois' disappearance had been the final straw. The afternoon he discovered her picture on the wall of the missing, he headed to the Talon hoping to find her there. He had wanted to offer her help in the search, but all he found was an empty apartment.

Knowing that with Clark gone, the only place left to Chloe would be the same building where she watched her husband die. He could honestly see her staying close to the last gift he gave her.

Instead of the perky blonde he knew, all that greeted him was a scrubbed bloodstain on the floor and settling dust.

Never for a second had he believed that she would give up.

Chloe had always been the one to remain strong when others doubted themselves and the world around them. The ultimate cheerleader; he couldn't believe that she would turn her back on her friends and the life she had lived for so long.

There had been no note, and no message left on her answerphone. He had even gone back to the Talon to look with a more critical eye.

Drawers were left half empty, and a single message had been left on Lois' laptop.

She had told her cousin that Jimmy had been murdered by the Cornfield Killer, and that without her there, there was no one she could talk to. She was alone without Lois, and staying behind hurt too much.

There had been no forwarding address, and no contact number. Only a promise that she would keep trying to reach her, in the hope that one day she would return.

That had been the key element in finding her. Once Lois returned, Oliver had known it would only be a matter of time before the cousins reconnected.

As much as Lois was part of the solution, he also knew that she would be a hindrance too. If Chloe wanted to stay hidden, then Lois would support her decision, even keeping her secret from those she loved the most.

Oliver had tried asking her for Chloe's location, which led to him trying to bribe her for information, and then eventually being forcefully removed from the Talon.

He ignored Lois' plea to leave it alone, and that he should respect Chloe's decision, but deep in his gut he knew that Chloe would have never let him give up like this. She had to know just how important she was to him, and to the team. Without her, he doubted if they would ever work as a team again.

Victor hacked into Lois' computer to retrieve the information he needed, three weeks after Lois' return. He had justified it to himself knowing that Chloe would have done the same for him.

The emails weren't easy to find, and without Victor's help he was sure that Chloe's secret would have remained hidden. Instructions had been left for Lois to stand at her beloved phone box to await a call. Luckily, Oliver was able to get a trace in time, leading him to this small town in the middle of nowhere.

He glanced back over at her, carrying plates of food to a hungry family. There was a forced smile as she handed out the meal, before turning and heading to the table in front of him.

There was no bounce in her step anymore. There had always been an energy about her; the way she moved, the way she spoke to people - it lightened the room no matter what. Now it was gone; replaced with a slump of her shoulders and a shuffle of feet.

"Hello, I'm Anne, and I will be serving you today. Can I get you guys any drinks?"

He fought the urge to stare at her as she addressed her new customers. It hadn't been his intention to confront her somewhere as public as this. He had just needed the confirmation that it really was her, to see her with his own eyes instead of through a camera.

Standing up, he left enough money to cover his bill and tip, before walking out of the door. The itch between his shoulder blades told him that he was being watched by her, but turning to meet those green eyes would blow his cover. He needed to speak to her tonight, and it had to be a conversation without an audience.

An old lock on an old window had barely prevented him from gaining entry to her apartment. Not even skill was needed, just sheer brute strength and the ability to climb a fire escape. It was worrying just how easy it had been, considering it belonged to a woman who had once prided herself on security and secrecy.

The apartment was sparsely furnished, and there were very few personal touches about the place. It wasn't surprising considering how little she had taken with her.

There was a small photo of her and Lois, and a picture from her wedding, presumably taken before Davis had torn his way through the guests and groom.

The entire apartment was no larger than his bedroom. The home she had shared with Lois may have been tiny, but it had had warmth and character. There had been colourful throws, scatter cushions, clothes haphazardly thrown around the room, and the aroma of coffee. It was lived in and loved.

From the place she was calling home now, he felt nothing but cold. Everything was in its place, and almost clinically clean. Not even an empty coffee cup in the sink, left over from a rushed morning. The bookcase held only a couple of well-thumbed paperbacks, and they were probably from a thrift store.

If he had to describe the feeling this place gave off in one word, it would be sadness.

He wandered over to her couch and sat down in the dark. Pulling his phone out, he began to check on his emails. There was no telling how long it would take for Chloe to arrive home.

After unlocking it, Chloe shouldered the door of her apartment open. It was old, slightly warped, and the manhandling required opening it left paint chips on her shoulder.

After using just as much force to close it, she slid on the security chain and bolted it in place.

Sighing, she leaned back on the crappy door and kicked off her shoes. There were red marks on her feet from where they had been cutting in throughout her shift, and she absentmindedly raised one foot to rub at it.

"Damn cheap shoes."

Chloe glared at the offending footwear as she made her way to the small kitchenette, needing the comfort of her favourite hot beverage. She switched on the small coffee machine, before grabbing her favourite mug from the cupboard above her head.

As she was about to grab the creamer when a sharp buzzing noise made her jump. A few sparks and a small trail of smoke was coming from the back of her coffee machine.

"No! Nonono!" She slammed her mug onto the counter and turned the power off on the wall.

With a heavy sigh she sat on the solitary stool in the kitchen and looked mournfully at the offending gadget. It looked like she would be living off instant coffee for the next few months.

As the lamp on the other side of the room switched on, Chloe instinctively reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a gun, aiming it in the direction of the light.

"I didn't imagine a warm welcome, but I didn't expect a gun aimed at me either. Put that thing down, Chloe."

"Oliver! What the hell are you doing here?"

The brief look of panic and fear appeared to leave her body, and her shoulders sagged as she put the gun away.

"I was waiting for you."

"Most people call, they don't skulk around in the shadows." She snarked.

Turning back to him he noticed the defensive stance she had taken, with her arms securely folded in front of her.

Oliver got up from his place on the couch and stood a few feet in front of her, very much aware that her fight or flight response was still very much there. She had every right to be jumpy still.

"If I'd called, would you have agreed to see me?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Hence the breaking and entering." Oliver smirked as he waved a hand towards the window.

"You could have spoken to me earlier. I take it that Jack's hotcakes weren't the only reason you were stalking me at work?"

He should have known that his presence was not completely under her radar.

"I needed to see that you were alright." He said honestly.

"I'm not going back Oliver." There was almost a panic to her voice.

"What makes you think that's what I was going to ask?" He asked gently, saddened by her gut reaction.

"If you just wanted to check up on me and make sure I was okay, you would have just said hello at the diner. Instead, you harass my cousin and break into my apartment where a confrontation is less likely to cause a scene."

"Fine, you've got me. But that doesn't lessen my reason for being here." Oliver walked closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"We need you back. Without you the team has become a mess, and I know how much it hurts Lois having you so far away."

"Don't try to emotionally blackmail me, Oliver. I still speak to Lois, and I know that the team will be far better off without me anywhere near Metropolis. I'm the reason things became screwed up in the first place."

"The blame doesn't lay squarely on your shoulders, Chloe. I was there; I saw it all first hand. Believing your life was worth sacrificing, and having too much faith in Clark Kent were the only things you were guilty of."

She huffed out a bitter laugh, and shook her head, her eyes resting on her feet.

"I'm just going to stop this here, because I'm not going to listen, no matter what you say. Consider me officially retired from the hero game."

He bent at the knees slightly to try to catch her eye. Even in her own home she was trying to escape him, no matter how small the attempt.

"There was a reason I offered you the position of running our little Watchtower at Isis. We need an eye in the sky, and there is no one I trust more to do that than you."

"I'm sorry, but my poor judgement has killed people, and I can't handle any more deaths on my conscience."

She sounded hollow and defeated. He could almost feel the change in her, but what shocked him the most was the lack of faith she had in herself.

"Poor judgement? Chloe, you weren't the only one who made bad decisions that day."

"I was making bad decisions long before Jimmy died. You even said so yourself!" Chloe said bitterly.

"What happened to learning from your mistakes, huh?"

She finally shrugged herself free from his hands, and gave him a familiar look of determination.

"That's exactly what I've done. I've walked away before any more damage is done."

He could see that she truly believed what she was saying; there was no hidden doubt there. "You honestly believe we are better off without you?"

"You've all seemed to survive fine without me so far."

It was his turn to let out a humourless laugh now.

"You're joking, right? Clark's running around Metropolis dressed like Captain Emo, Lois is firmly on Tess' radar and digging herself in further, and me? I've been a whiskey bottle shy of joining the AA!"

"And what exactly has that got to do with me?"

He walked towards her again, not to intimidate her, but so she could see just how desperate he was for her to listen to him.

"You would call me on my shit. You would keep Lois out of trouble. Hell, you would find a boot made of kryptonite to give Clark a righteous kick up the ass!"

"I'm not having this conversation, Oliver. Thank you for checking up on me, but it's time for you to leave now." She said as she walked to the door to her apartment, opening it for his benefit.

He followed her, but instead of walking through the doorway he forced the door closed. "No, I think we need to continue this."

"It's not my problem! It never should have been! I was never meant to get mixed up in that life."

Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she seemed determined to ignore them.

"I'm not going to let this drop, Chloe. I need you, because I'm not sure I can get the team together without you in my corner. You know you've always been the brain to my brawn." He said with an encouraging smile.

"We both know that's not true. If you want to call as a friend in the future, that's fine, but if you pull this on me again, next time, I swear I'll run so far you'll never catch up with me. Are we clear?"

Any other person on the planet would agree that Chloe had been through too much, and seen too much. But she was smart, intelligent, and more than that she was a fighter. That woman was still there, but pushing her right now would have her digging her heels in further. There would be no talking Chloe Sullivan round, not tonight, not ever.

Oliver had always been a strong believer in actions saying far more than words, and he was sure that nothing short of action would convince her to come back.

"So if I promise never to mention it again, you'll at least talk to me?"

"As long as next time you promise to knock on my door, not just pick its lock."

"Okay. I can deal with that. I'll even leave the windows, too." He conceded.

Her shoulders relaxed as she let the tension leave her. "Thank you."

"How about I give you a call in a couple of days? We'll go out for coffee." He said, purposefully looking at the busted machine on her counter.

Chloe followed his gaze and sighed when she saw the pathetic piece of equipment. "I think I'll be climbing the walls by then."

"I'll make sure to order the biggest cup they have."

Oliver pulled her into a hug, and the stiffness in her body let him know he had taken her by surprise. After a couple of seconds, she seemed to relax in his arms. It gave him hope, because if she was willing to let him in as a friend, she wasn't completely lost.

With a final squeeze he let her go. "Look after yourself, Chloe. I'll see you soon."

She nodded as she opened the door to let him out into the corridor. With a small wave of his hand he left the apartment, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts.

As he left the building, a plan began to form in Oliver's mind. It would take a lot of work, and there would be a fair share of grovelling on his part, but it would be worth it. He would bring Chloe back to Metropolis.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Oliver's impromptu visit, and life had returned to normal. For the first two days she had been constantly looking over her shoulder, just waiting for the next unwelcome surprise. To her relief it never came.

Oliver had called as promised and arranged to meet up with her the following week. He had apologised again for catching her unawares, but had insisted that Lois had made his life hell as a result. To make it up to her, there would be a triple espresso with her name on it, but only if she called off her cousin.

Chloe opened the door to her apartment, juggling the day's mail, bag and her shoes in her arms. She had just completed a double shift and her toes were about to begin a rebellion. Like it or not, she was shopping for more comfortable footwear tomorrow.

She dumped the papers and bag on the counter before turning to throw the shoes in the bin.

"Evil things." She muttered, before pulling her day's tips from the pockets of her dress.

Six dollars and thirty-five cents.

'Rough day' didn't begin to cover it.

At least once the sale of the apartment Jimmy bought for them went through, life would become more comfortable.

Sitting down at the counter she pulled the local paper from the pile of mail, intending to scour the job pages. As she opened the first page a small white envelope fell into her lap. There were no postage marks or stamps, but even so, there was no reason for it to be hidden in the newspaper. Picking it up, she noticed her name handwritten on the front. Her real name.

Maybe it was from Oliver, thinking that contacting her through mail didn't violate their agreement about asking her back to the team. Opening the envelope, all she found inside was a simple unlabelled disk. If Oliver had sent it, there would have at least been a note of some sort.

It didn't look like the junk CDs she found in her mail on occasion, and the local paper certainly didn't have the resources to run such a promotion. After debating with herself for a few minutes, she decided to play it before putting the disk in the trash, right next to the crappy shoes.

Opening her old and trusty laptop, she inserted the disk and waited for it to run. Instead of being greeted by loud advertisements and attempts to add spyware to her system, she was watching what appeared to be a copy of footage from a security camera.

She instantly recognised the area and the neon lights outside of the building it showed. This video feed was from one of the cameras situated outside the Ace of Clubs in Metropolis.

Chloe was about to pick up her phone and call Oliver to ask if this was his way of trying to make her feel homesick, when the man in question appeared on screen.

A sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched the tall blonde stagger from the side door and towards a row of parked cars. He was clearly drunk, or at least she presumed it was from drink.

She had heard all about his playboy past when she still worked at the Daily Planet. Oliver Queen had been no stranger to drugs in his youth, and with everything that had happened in the last few weeks she wouldn't be surprised if he felt the need to turn to them again. God only knew how she would have paid for a way to escape her mind for just a few hours.

Chloe watched as he quickly stumbled towards his car, and bit her lip to stop herself from screaming at the idiot on the screen. Harming yourself was one thing, but to willingly get in a car?

Oliver attempted to open the door, but instead of managing to get in, he simply slid down the door into a crumpled heap on the floor.

The door opened yet again, and this time two big guys dressed in suits entered the alley. They saw Oliver practically lying in the gutter, but there was no look of surprise or disgust on their faces. The one with his back turned to the camera simply put a finger to his ear and spoke into the wind.

Ten seconds later a black, unmarked van pulled up in front of the alley, effectively blocking Chloe's view. It wasn't long before she saw the back doors opened and the two men carrying Oliver into the vehicle.

The entire piece of footage ran no longer than two minutes. Chloe knew she should react, but she was rooted to the spot. Had she really just seen Oliver Queen kidnapped?

She picked up the envelope, hoping to find some kind of clue, but there was nothing apart from her name.

The security footage switching to another screen in the corner of her eye brought her attention back to her laptop. The sight of an empty alley was replaced by the headshot of a beautiful woman. At least she would have been beautiful, if it wasn't for the tear stained cheeks and the worrying glances she was giving to someone off camera.

As if reading from a card off camera, the woman began to speak.

"Shortly after the scene you have just witnessed, Mr Queen's personal belongings were searched. If you're watching this, then you're the listed as the next of kin for Oliver Queen. It also means that you are eligible to play 'The Game'."

Chloe was staring at the screen in disbelief. She had no clue that Oliver had her listed as his next of kin, especially after everything that had happened recently. She had always assumed that he would list Lois, or maybe someone within Queen Industries. Chloe never would have believed he would trust her with this.

But even so, what did these people expect her to do?

"Your part in the Game is simple enough. You are to arrange for one billion dollars to be transferred into a designated account within forty-eight hours. The account number will be provided at a later time. "

How the hell was she supposed to get her hands on a billion dollars? She was his next of kin! Even if he had named her the Grand High Princess Fairy of Everything, there was still no way she would have access to his money.

"You will find a way to deliver. For every minute that passes after the deadline, parts of Oliver Queen will be routinely delivered to you…in pieces. Involvement with the authorities will result in the same."

The video finished, and it left Chloe's apartment eerily quiet. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and with trembling fingers she picked up her phone and began calling.

First she tried Clark in the hope he may pick up, but all she was left with was an endless ringing. In order of her contacts list she attempted to call the team - AC, Bart, Dinah and Victor. Their phones seemed to be switched off, but at least she was able to leave a message with Bart.

Jumping from her seat she began to pace her apartment as the panic set in. She was helpless. There was nothing she could do, and the only people who could help Oliver and make a plan to rescue him weren't answering her calls.

The police were not an option, not if she wanted to keep Oliver alive and in one piece.

As she continued trying the same five phone numbers over and over again, she found a notepad and pen and began to jot down notes.

It was against her nature to sit still and do nothing. Besides, the minute one of her old teammates got back to her it would be helpful if they had something else to work from apart from the disk.

Scribbling away, she made a note of everything she had seen. The time and place of Oliver's kidnapping, a description of those that took him, even a description of the woman.

After an hour she still had no response from the messages she had left. As she continued to make notes she once again turned to her laptop for information. She began searching the local and national media, looking for any mentions of Oliver's absence and any recent public activity. She even hacked into the Metropolis PD's most recent files and 911 records.

The easiest person to ask was also the one person Chloe was the most reluctant to involve. Lois. There would be no stopping her cousin, and although Chloe would appreciate the help, she knew that Lois would never let it drop, and insist on being involved every step of the way. Superheroes be damned.

Chloe tried not to sigh. It seemed as though she were destined to always hide things and lie to those she loved.

"Damn you, Oliver!" She shouted into the empty apartment.

It was unfair, she knew that, but he was finally getting what he wanted. She was back in front of her computer doing things she swore she would never do again, and all because he had to get himself dragged out of an alley and into the back of a van.

She restarted the disk again, hoping to pick something up, something useful. This was the first time since leaving Metropolis that she wished she had brought some of her equipment from Isis with her.

Her phone vibrated across the worktop as it began to ring. Chloe answered it before the second ring, barely even glancing at the caller ID.

"Bart!" She practically shouted his name down the phone, relieved to finally be in touch with someone who could take this from her hands and find Oliver.

"Uh…hi, Chloe."

Her smile dropped at the lack of a nickname. She had never been Chloe to Bart. Chloelicious, Beautiful, Gorgeous, even Blondie; but never just Chloe.

"So you got my message?

"You're serious about this? Oliver's been kidnapped?"

"Yes. An anonymous disk was tucked into my mail, and it looks like the real deal to me. I really need your help Bart; I don't know what to do."

There was a small pause on the other end of the line, "Where do you live now, Chloe?"

"I'll text you the address."

Literally three seconds after she had typed out the message on her phone, and hit send, there was a knock on the door.

Once she opened it, everything was set to change. She had worked so hard to make a normal life for herself these past few months, resisting all temptation to go back to Metropolis and the people she used to know. Behind that slender piece of wood stood Bart Allen, and with him the possibility that her life would once again be turned upside down. Her only chance was to convince him to take the case and bring it to the team, keeping her involvement to the bare minimum.

Chloe took a steadying breath, and headed towards her front door.

Peering through the peephole, she felt her stomach tighten as she took in his appearance. He looked just as he had the night they tried to take down Doomsday.

She wasn't sure why she expected a change; maybe it was because their lives had all drastically shifted that night, and she didn't want to be the only one affected.

Except she hadn't been, had she. Jimmy paid more than any of them that night.

If she thought too much about her ex-husband, she would crack. WIth that thought, she opened the door.

He didn't say anything, or make any movement.; he just stood there looking at her.

"Thanks for coming." She said, and stepped aside for him to move into the apartment.

"Yeah, well...I didn't really have much of a choice."

Chloe walked over to her computer and extracted the disk, before setting it on top of the notepad and handing it to him.

"This is everything I have."

Bart accepted the items, but looked up at her in confusion. "I...Chloe, I have no idea what to do with this stuff. I've never soloed on something this huge. It's normally a team effort, y'know?"

"Call in the team - they'll listen to you!"

"You think they're calling me up, inviting me over for coffee? I haven't heard from anyone since Doomsday; no one's talking to me, or answering my calls."

Chloe walked into her kitchenette, hunting for something to clean so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. "I can't do this, I only make things worse. This problem needs to be handled by a real hero, and today that hero is you."

"Please. I need your help on this 'licious. I'm fast on my feet, but when it comes to problem solving, I'm just like the next guy." Bart dropped the pad and disk onto the countertop, before taking a seat on a nearby stool.

Chloe ignored the items, instead she set about filling her kettle so she could have a mug of substandard instant coffee.

"You're smart enough to do this, Bart. I know you can handle it."

"I've no idea where to start! And if we don't find Oliver quickly, I'm not sure what'll happen to him."

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his. "I've left this all behind me, and for good reason. You of all people know why I shouldn't be involved. I can't play at being a sidekick anymore."

"I need you. Without your help, I'm not sure I'll get to him in time."

"I can't...I-"

Bart zipped forward and held her hands. "Please."

His voice was soft, but his eyes were serious. It took a lot to zap the smiles and smart remarks from Bart. If she said no to him now, it would feel like kicking a wounded puppy.

"Fine; but you can't tell anyone where I am, or that I was involved in this."

"I swear I won't tell anyone, unless you ask me to."

Chloe ignored the part about her possibly wanting anyone to know about her, and simply nodded towards the disk.

"Your first step should be to check the disk for other fingerprints. It was hand delivered; it's a slim chance but worth looking at."

"My first step?" Bart quirked an eyebrow at her, "No, you mean ours."

"Ours?"

"Yep. So how about hopping on the Allen express. I'll guarantee you the run of your life." Bart held his arms out to her. "We'll be at the Isis Foundation before you can blink."

"Bart...I ca- I don't want to go back."

"No-one has to know. I'm faster than Stretch, you won't get caught."

"Our secret?" She asked as she stepped in front of him.

Bart picked her up off of her feet, and held her in his arms. "Our secret."

Chloe barely had time to draw breath before they were out of the door, and heading to Metropolis.


End file.
